Ongoing Violence

Posted on 5/3/2021

Defendant:

Columbus is a city seeing unprecedented homicide rates and continuous deaths through gun violence. We must find a path forward that leads to justice, reconciliation, individual accountability, enhanced public safety, transparency, and peace. Most importantly, we must do this together.

As I approached Law Day this past Saturday, celebrated every year on May 1, I was struck by the fact that as the Franklin County Prosecutor, I am able to reach out to all segments of our county to bring a message of justice, reconciliation, and dedication to the rule of law. I hear the pain of those mourning the loss of loved ones. As both a lawyer and one with a divinity degree, I pray for those aggrieved in our county to receive justice, and for our partners in the law enforcement community to exercise their discretion with justice and the public wellbeing in mind.

As the office of the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney, our role is to prosecute matters referred to us by law enforcement, and ensure those prosecutions are appropriate, equitable, just, and done in accordance with the law. I as the elected Prosecuting Attorney and we as an office are committed to the integrity and transparency of each case that is presented to us.

I have no higher priority than to assure all stakeholders in the legal system that I will exercise my discretion in a manner consistent with Ohio Law and mindful of the facts of each case, in a search for enlightenment and justice for each precious life. The National Day of Prayer is celebrated each year on May 6. I urge each of our citizens to take the opportunity offered by that day to seek solace within your own understanding of the deity and to pray for our community to be healed through the operation of a system of justice that protects the innocent and measures its actions in proportion to the harms committed.

To all of Franklin County – we hear your demands for fairness, equity, transparency, and accountability. We ask you for patience and trust while investigations are completed by the appropriate authorities in the coming weeks. We are, as always, committed to transparency and justice for all. In closing, please, do not lose sight of our interconnectedness, nor of the goodness of others. These times seem impossible to navigate, but at the end of the day, there is hope.